The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to improve the economic well-being of people in rural areas through its programmes with main focus on enhancing livelihood opportunities, empowering rural women, providing social security to rural youth, infrastructure development etc. In this regard, the Government is implementing several targeted programmes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY NRLM), Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Watershed Development Component (WDC) of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY). The increase in budgetary allocation under rural development schemes/programmes is a continuous process. Funds are allocated keeping in view the compliance of the provisions under the scheme guidelines and assessing the actual requirement on the ground.
MGNREGA is a demand-based wage employment scheme that provides guaranteed wage employment for at least 100 days in every financial year to enhance livelihood security of households in the rural areas of the country by providing employment to adult members of every household voluntarily to do unskilled manual labour. It provides alternative livelihood options to rural households in the absence of better employment opportunities.
In addition, it mandates additional 50 days of wage employment for Scheduled Tribe families in forest areas and additional 50 days of wage employment in rural areas affected by drought or natural calamity. State Governments have the option to allocate additional days of employment beyond the guaranteed period by using their own funds.
All the schemes/programmes of this Ministry aim to improve the living standards of the rural people including creation of employment and livelihood opportunities. In order to generate employment opportunities and impart skills to the rural people including Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/OBCs/Minority Communities, wherever applicable, this Ministry is implementing several schemes such as MGNREGS, DDU-GKY and RSETI. While MGNREGS guarantees employment to unskilled workers in rural areas, DDU-GKY and RSETI schemes promote employment through wage or self-employment for economic and social development of the youth of rural area of the country. However, this Ministry does not implement any employment guarantee scheme exclusively for Scheduled Castes (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST)/Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Minority Communities.
Further, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Kshyata Aur Kushal Sampann Benefitrahi (PM-DAKSH) Scheme to enhance the skill level of the targeted youth by imparting long-term and short-term skills to engage them in wage/self-employment thereby empowering the socially, educationally and economically marginalized sections of the society including Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Denotified Tribes, Economically Backward Classes etc. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) for skill-based training of youth across the country including SC/ST/Economically Weaker Sections youth under Short Term Training (STT) courses and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Similarly, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), a flagship credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through setting up of micro enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and unemployed youth.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Kamlesh Paswan in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
